arcticstoat writes: Solid state disks could soon catch up with mechanical hard drives in terms of cost and capacity, thanks to a new data-packed chip developed by a scientist at the University of North Carolina. Using a uniform array of 10nm nanodots, each of which represents a single bit, Dr Jay Narayan created a data-density of 1 terabit per square centimetre. The end result was a 4cm2 chip that holds 4Tb of data (512GB), but the university says that the nanodots could have a diameter of just 6nm, enabling an even greater data-density. The university explains that the nanodots are "made of single, defect-free crystals, creating magnetic sensors that are integrated directly into a silicon electronic chip.” Dr Narayan says he expects the technology overtaking traditional solid state disk technology within the next five years.